The latest electronics are putting the fun back into taking the wheel. Mark Prigg test-drives a dazzling array of gadgets.
TomTom Go Live 940
£449
The Go Live 940 is TomTom’s new all-singing, all-dancing connected GPS unit. Thankfully, TomTom hasn’t changed its basic software too much for this new model, keeping the same superb, easy-to-use interface, which is by far the best of any manufacturer.
However, the additions TomTom has made are excellent and all centre around its new online capabilities, and the device comes with its own Vodafone data service built in, so you don’t even need to connect it to a mobile. The live High Definition Traffic service is great, and the most accurate and detailed we’ve seen. It’s updated every three minutes and works very well at helping you avoid traffic blackspots.
One particularly interesting feature, in light of the current economic climate, is the petrol price database. This cross-references the price of fuel in thousands of petrol stations from an online database, and directs you to the cheapest on your route. It’s a simple but well executed little add-on, and one which shows off just how powerful an internet-connected GPS unit can be.
Finishing the neat online features, there’s also Google Local Search, allowing you to find nearby hotels, bars and other points of interest easily, all pulled live from Google’s servers. It also has an FM transmitter built in, so you can easily link your iPod and get driving directions via the car stereo. As with previous TomTom units, it also works well as a Bluetooth hands-free kit, and you can even store and play back music on a memory card.
Overall, this is a hugely impressive gadget. TomTom’s products have always been good, but the new online features of the 940 really do make this the best all-round satnav you’ll find – highly recommended, even if it does come with a price tag to match.
Pros Every feature you could wish for, superb interface
Cons High price
Aliph Jawbone bluetooth headset
£80
As any driver knows, a good Bluetooth headset is an essential piece of kit as talking on a mobile phone at the wheel is now banned in most countries. Bluetooth headsets started out being fairly low-tech, but Aliph has really raised the bar with the Jawbone. It’s based on technology originally designed to allow soldiers to hear each other on the battlefield and features three microphones, which adjust 380 times a second, and background noise-removal technology.
The names of the parts contain more acronyms than you ever thought existed but, thankfully, the only thing you really need to know about the Jawbone is that the sound quality is an absolute revelation. Traditionally, talking to someone via a Bluetooth headset was a nightmare, with static and background noise making normal conversation virtually impossible – especially if you were heading down the motorway. However, with the Jawbone we found that on some occasions the calls actually sounded clearer than if you’re holding up your phone directly.
Getting it on and off your ear can be a bit of a struggle, so it’s best to put it on at the start of your journey. Charging it is also a little bit fiddly, so it really is advisable to power it up at home first.
It’s also impossible to talk about the Jawbone without mentioning its alluring good looks – this is one of the slickest and most useful bits of kit you’ll find.
Pros Sound quality and slick design
Cons Looks a little fragile and charging is fiddly
Gear4 Roadtour dual charge
£20
With a plethora of gadgets now carried in the glove compartment of most cars, charging them all up can be a nightmare. Thankfully, the Gear4 RoadTour Dual Charge comes to the rescue. It’s really simple, converting your car’s cigarette lighter socket into two charging USB ports.
Simply plug in to your phone, iPod or whatever else you have, and you’re away. The only slight flaw is that most satnavs need the socket to themselves, but they tend to come with fairly decent batteries. It’s a cheap, simple bit of technology, and one which really should find its way into regular drivers’ cars.
Pros Simple
Cons Nothing
Kensington Liquid FM deluxe
Around £50
FM transmitters are nothing new but in the past have been, well, a little rubbish. Audio quality can be awful and setting them up a nightmare. What they do, in a nutshell, is take the input from your music player and transmit it as a low-powered FM radio station – so to listen to your music, you simply tune the car radio into the right frequency.
Kensington’s Liquid FM Deluxe is at the top end of the market, and it shows. It’s easy to set up and will scan to find a clear frequency. There are also three presets for remembering stations, which is useful – chances are you’ll need more than one, as finding a perfectly clear FM frequency in built-up areas is a struggle. There are still problems – in central London, for instance, the sheer number of pirate radio stations means it can be tough to find a clear frequency, then when you drive a few hundred yards you find the transmitter doesn’t work.
However, get out of town and the Kensington gives excellent results. Audio is clear, and while not as good as a dedicated cable connection, is among the best we’ve heard from an FM transmitter. The unit also has a great feature which uses FM radio’s RDS function, which normally transmits the station name to your radio display. On the Kensington, however, it displays the track currently playing. (We tried the iPod/iPhone version, but there are units compatible with other players too.)
Pros Great quality
Cons High price
Motorola MOTOROKR T505
Around £60
In-ear Bluetooth headsets are fine for driving, but can be tricky to grab hold of when your phone rings – more dangerous than actually speaking on the phone, in many cases. The Motorola Motorokr T505 solves the problem brilliantly. It’s a standalone Bluetooth speakerphone which clips onto your sun visor and links via Bluetooth to your phone. Once you’ve connected it, you can operate the phone via voice commands, and it will also read out the number of whoever is calling you. Answering is also simple – just press the large button on the front.
If you have a phone (or MP3 player) which supports stereo Bluetooth, you can also stream music to the device or to your car’s stereo via the built-in FM transmitter. Once you pair the T505 with your phone, the unit dependably reconnects the next time you get into the car, meaning you can just put it in and forget about it. The T505 is only really suitable for people who spend a lot of their time driving, but it is definitely one of the most useful in-car accessories we’ve seen, and makes using a mobile in your car as safe and easy as possible.
Pros Great idea
Cons Flimsy build quality
Pure Highway DAB in-car digital radio
£70
Digital radio has really taken off at home but, until now, it’s been tough to listen to in-car. Pure, which normally makes some excellent retro-looking digital radios, has solved the problem with the Highway. It’s a small self-contained digital radio which retransmits digital audio as FM, working in exactly the same way as an iPod FM transmitter. If you’ve got a line in, you can use that instead. The dinky little unit is powered by a car cigarette lighter, although for DAB on the move it can also run on two AA batteries, which makes it possible to use it outside the car.
There’s a windscreen mount supplied and the radio is held onto it by a magnet. Audio quality is excellent and it picks up as many stations as a normal DAB radio. The only downside, in fact, is that you have to have an ariel cable across the front of the windscreen, which doesn’t look great. However, if you’re a fan of digital radio, this is an excellent and unique way of listening to it on the go.
Pros Easy to install and simple to use
Cons Looks ugly
Parrot MKi9200
Around £190
In the world of hands-free kits, this is undoubtedly the Rolls-Royce. Parrot’s MKi9200 crams almost every feature you could want into a small unit with a 2.4-inch colour LCD screen. The kit comes in three parts – the screen, a small wireless controller joystick which mounts onto the steering wheel, and a microphone. You can then use it as a hands-free kit for a mobile and a controller for your iPod.
The iPod control is superb and will give you full command of your player from the dashboard, and shows the same menus and album artwork you’d see on screen. For voice calls it’s also simple to use, and has a neat audio-control feature which doesn’t have to be taught to recognise your voice, as it automatically reads your handset’s phonebook and tries its best to match the name spoken to your contacts, which works exceptionally well.
The MKi9200’s display is excellent and shows wallpaper, caller picture ID, full playlists for music and even album artwork from your iPod. Overall, this is a gadget which has almost every feature you could want. It’s really the ultimate in-car control system for iPods, and a brilliant Bluetooth hands-free kit to boot. However, all that comes at a price, which makes this something we’d only recommend for hardcore music fans, or people who do most of their business from the driver’s seat. It’s incredibly slick and well thought-out but you do pay for the privilege.
Pros Amazing features list
Cons High price
Android T-Mobile G1
From free depending on contract
Google’s first mobile, the T-Mobile G1, is a rare thing – an entirely new platform. It runs software from Google called Android, which you’re going to see in loads of phones in coming years, as Google has already signed up dozens of manufacturers to produce handsets running it. As Apple and RIM dominate the high-end smartphone market, Google hopes to make an impact by allowing third-party developers to create software easily and quickly for its handset.
The G1 is a really ugly little object, with a strange upturned bulge at its base where the navigation buttons and trackball are. However, the screen hides a full QWERTY keyboard underneath, which does give it an edge over the iPhone. The unit uses Google’s online contacts and calendar service to get data, so you’ll need to create an account and upload your information to the service first. It’s a strange approach, although one obviously designed to push Google’s online service. You can navigate the interface either using your finger or via a neat trackpad. However, the menus seem a little cramped at times and, with so many ways of getting around, it can be a little confusing.
The handset is being offered with the company’s “Web ‘n’ Walk” tariff, so 3G is quick, although our handset did take a long time to join networks initially. Browsing sites is fast and easy via wifi, and email is particularly impressive, especially if you use Google’s Gmail product (although the phone will work with any email provider).
There’s also a 3-megapixel camera, which is adequate, although surprising in an age where 8-megapixel cameras are being launched. Overall, the G1 doesn’t have the slickness of the iPhone, but it is a very capable handset nonetheless, particularly if you already rely on Gmail. With Google’s might behind it, it’s well worth keeping an eye out for future versions but, for now, it’s really one for early adopters and Google fans rather than the average consumer.
